TWOONE – SEVEN SAMURAI – 14th SEPTEMBER

From Friday the 14th until the 30th of September, Backwoods Gallery is a presenting Seven Samurai a unique and insightful collection of new work by one of Australia’s leading street artists, TwoOne.

A true masterpiece, be it painting, music or cinema, invites its audience into a hidden universe of symbolism, calling for the exploration of its nuanced subtlety and in return rewarding with insight into the artist’s heart and mind. As individual experience and interpretations add to this universe, the resulting cultural dialogue builds a mythology that deepens and extends its original intent.

Japanese born Hiroyasu Tsuri, also known as street artist TwoOne, explores these ideas in work that contributes a unique contemporary insight into one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, Akira Kurosawa’sSeven Samurai.

The new collection of seven large scale works on display at Backwoods Gallery from the 7th until the 30th of September explores the psyche of each of the film’s seven protagonists: Katsushirō Okamoto, the young untested samurai, struggles with an undefined foe: his right hand tearing at a piece of the void, his muscles tense as he wrestles. A hint of a jawbone suggests the true nature of the invisible wraith.

“Within us all there is a battle,” says TwoOne. “The form of fighting and the ferocity is what defines us.”

TwoOne’s work is informed by the Nietzschean dichotomy and Western psychology synthesized with Zen philosophy and aesthetics. It presents a tense yet profoundly poetic interpretation of Kurosawa’s characters that echo the resounding and continuing impact of the original film.

TwoOne arrived in Melbourne during the early 2000’s and instantly became an integral part of the “street art explosion” dominating the cultural landscape of Melbourne at the time.

As the fervor mellowed and the street art scene matured, TwoOne emerged as one of Australia’s most promising young artists, transcending the boundaries of the street and establishing himself securely in the world of fine art.

Backwoods Gallery has a longstanding commitment to TwoOne’s work and is proud to present this important exhibition: seven large scale works, a number of smaller studies, installations and a limited edition book.